The Earth is our home and our citizenship is in the Kingdom of Heaven as Christians. God, in His intentional and exquisite design, created not only a planet fit for life, but a planet full of wonder, beauty, and resources available for us to live well.
As Christians, we must care about the Earth and the environment because it is a gift from God to man.
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1. Call of God from Eden
Genesis 1:28 recounts God’s instruction to man in the Garden of Eden: “Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’ Fill the earth and rule it. Rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the animals that run on the earth.
God not only placed Adam and Eve in the Garden to live there, but also to take care of their home. It was clear that Eden and the Earth as a whole were a gift of a place to reside, and it would be good stewardship of that gift to care for the Earth, work the land, and treat the home with care.
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2. Vegetation praises God
Even the vegetation of the Earth sings the praises of God; truly, all creation is called to worship and worship Him.
Isaiah 55:12 shares: “The mountains and the hills will burst into song for joy at your presence, and all the trees will applaud,” and Psalm 96:12 exclaims: “Let the field be joyful and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD. If the trees of the woods were called to worship, and so are we. The next time you walk through the forest, think about how the trees worship him and, alongside them, praise his holy name.
Also consider the importance of caring for the environment as part of forest conservation so that these trees can continue to thrive and clap their hands in adoration!
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3. The Earth provides food
Taking care of the environment also impacts us on a food level, because our food comes from the Earth. Whether an animal or a plant, our food supply ultimately comes from the earth.
As Christians we should be concerned about this because taking good care of the earth will affect our own sustainability when it comes to food to nourish our own bodies.
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4. Creation is beautiful
By caring for Earth’s environment, we contribute to the beauty of this amazing planet. God could have very easily created a planet that would simply be conducive to life, but instead he chose to do so and create one that was full of his own artistry.
From canyons to mountains to landscapes to beaches and beyond, there is something so wonderful about Earth.
When we strive to properly care for these gifts, we not only have the opportunity to enjoy them now, but we also leave a legacy so that these natural views can endure for generations to come. What a gift that God has given us such a planet of poetry!
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5. Take care of animals
Although not all animals require our intervention to care for them, we play a role in the lives of many animals that exist in our world. One of the first tasks given to the first man, Adam, was to name animals.
We know that God is strategic and intentional in everything He does and orchestrates, so asking Adam to do this wasn’t just creating busy work for Adam.
Not only did this give Adam the opportunity to realize how many animals God had created, but it also gave him an appreciation and understanding of what he, as man, was called to rule over in the call of Genesis 1:28.
Saint Francis of Assisi also reminds us that we honor God by honoring animals: “These creatures provide for our needs every day; without them we could not live; and through them the human race greatly offends the Creator. We fail every day to appreciate such a great blessing by not properly praising the Creator and Giver of all these things.”
We have a duty to care for animals and how they are treated in our environment, as well as a duty to God.
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6. Manage the Minas well
In the parable of Minas Luke 19we learn how God gives us gifts, talents or resources to manage in our lives. He has given each of us the opportunity to live on Earth, and with that comes a responsibility of stewardship.
We must ask ourselves if we are honoring Him well with what has been given to us? Do we respect the earth we live on? Are we wasting things?
Ask the Lord to help convince you of areas where you could improve this so that you can be entrusted with more as He sees fit.
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7. Our house before the sky
Earth is our home before we reach our eternal home with God in heaven. We must care about the environment because that’s where we have to live during our lives, there is no planet B!
This does not mean that we should make caring for the Earth an idol, that we should not be deeply absorbed in the environment in every way possible, but it does mean that we should think about the impact of our actions on the environment, the planet, the vegetation and the animals with whom we share this home.
By caring for our home here on Earth, we honor ourselves and the gift God graciously gave us in creating the Earth.
It is a gift to live on this planet, and we not only have the opportunity but also the responsibility to care for this Earth’s environment.
This can be done in small ways, such as disposing of waste properly, not littering or wasting resources, or in larger ways, such as helping to recycle or cultivating the soil well.
When we pay attention to the world around us and not just the daily comings and goings of our own lives, we realize that there are so many things we can do to help the planet and each other.
We can also work so that those who come after us can also share the joy of the wonder and beauty of nature. Ask the Lord to remind you how you can care about the environment and take action to help it too!
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Originally published on Wednesday April 29, 2026.
